Ssangyong C&E to Invest 800 Billion KRW in Facilities by 2030 to "Reduce Carbon Emissions"

The World's First Cement Industry Goal to Phase Out Coal

Ssangyong C&E is set to invest approximately 800 billion KRW in facilities to reduce environmental impacts generated during the cement production process.

Exterior view of Ssangyong C&E Donghae Plant [Photo by Ssangyong C&E]

On the 6th, Ssangyong C&E announced plans to invest 500 billion KRW by 2030 in process improvements such as reducing nitrogen oxides, 140 billion KRW in fuel substitution and productivity enhancement, and 160 billion KRW in improving dust collector performance.

A representative from Ssangyong C&E stated, “The decision to make this large-scale investment for environmental improvement is a voluntary social responsibility practice as a leading company in the domestic cement industry, as well as an effort to seek sustainable mutual growth with local communities. Through this, we plan to drastically reduce carbon emissions along with air pollutant emissions.”

They intend to reduce carbon emissions by more than 25% by 2030 and 53% by 2050 compared to 2018 levels through the use of alternative fuels, increasing the substitution rate of low-carbon raw materials, and developing new technologies.

First, the use of alternative fuels to fossil fuels will be expanded in the calcination process. By last year, they completed the first phase of investment worth 220 billion KRW to build related facilities and infrastructure. Going forward, they plan to invest an additional 140 billion KRW to further reduce fossil fuel usage, ultimately aiming to achieve coal phase-out by 2030, becoming the first in the global cement industry to do so.

Additionally, they will continuously expand the supply of quicklime sources to replace limestone, which has high carbon emissions, and pursue further carbon reduction through the introduction and utilization of carbon capture technology specialized for cement processes.

Investment in facilities to minimize environmental impacts such as air pollution generated during cement product manufacturing will also increase. Ssangyong C&E is actively reviewing domestic and international technologies to select the optimal nitrogen oxide reduction facility types and installation locations, and will participate in government-led demonstration projects for reduction technologies. They have set a goal to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 30% compared to current levels through the introduction of reduction facilities such as Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR).

Emissions dust generated during the manufacturing process will be replaced with high-efficiency filtration dust collectors, and facilities with potential for fugitive dust emissions will be enclosed or sealed indoors to minimize fine dust generation.

Furthermore, Ssangyong C&E plans to actively reflect the research and review results of the ‘Cement Environmental Management Advancement Public-Private Forum,’ which includes government, stakeholders, NGOs, and experts, and prepare improvement measures such as installing additional washing facilities to address chlorine dust generated during the manufacturing process.

Lee Hyun-jun, CEO of Ssangyong C&E, said, “While it is undeniable that the cement industry, which emits a large amount of carbon, has some impact on climate change, we will actively strive to become a company that can achieve sustainable growth and development by realizing carbon neutrality, a global goal, and minimizing environmental impacts through large-scale investments for environmental improvement.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.